That’s the cry of the owls. And there are a lot of owls in my new short story collection, published this month by the independent Welsh publisher Atomic Bohemian and available on pre-order from them now.
The nine stories in the book are all inspired by the paintings and drawings of the Northern Renaissance artist Hieronymus Bosch. His most famous work is the extranordinary The Garden of Earthly Delights. And yes, it does feature in the collection. Or rather, characters from it do.
Look in almost any Bosch painting or drawing and you’ll find an owl peeking out. I love their mystery and their stealthy flight. They found their way into my stories by chance rather than design, but I ‘m so happy to have them there.
I’m thrilled that this collection is finally out in the world. It has found its perfect publisher.
I am interrupting my series of snapshots of 2023 to bring you news of my new novella-in-flash. Copies have arrived unexpectedly early, so I will be able to start sending them out after Christmas!
After The Geography of the Heart was longlisted for the Bath Novella-in-Flash Award 2023, judge John Brantingham suggested other publishers I might try with the book. I was delighted when Arroyo Seco Press in California offered me publication.
This – like my other novellas – is the story of a family, this time set in my hometown of Abergavenny. featuring real places and events. The characters are fictional, but draw on my own experiences living here. I hope it will appeal to readers in Abergavenny, California and all places in between and beyond!
John Brantingham says of the book:
‘The Geography of the Heart is an exceptional collection, and Cath Barton uses the novella-in-flash form to do what could not be achieved so well in any other form, giving us an insider’s look at the way the people in a small town in Wales live. This is an intimate book and a beautiful one too. It is one I have lingered over a few times now because it asks us to spend some long quiet moments with the inhabitants of Abergavenny, and these are people worth spending time with.’
I am so grateful to John for his generous words, and to Thomas Thomas of Arroyo Seco Press for working with me to bring this book into the world.
UK readers can also buy it online here for £11.95. However you can get it directly from me for £9.50 incl p&p. (Multiple copies will be a little cheaper – contact me for details.)
I will also be handselling copies locally for £7. I am planning a launch in Abergavenny Library on Saturday, 20th January, where I will be in conversation with fellow local author Nigel Jarrett, reading extracts from the book and answering questions about it.
However you purchase it, I will be donating all profits which I make from sales of this book to Abergavenny Foodbank.
In this time promotional tours for books cannot happen. But fortunately technology gives us alternatives, and I’m taking every opportunity that comes my way to help put the word out about my new book.
For book bloggers this is #NovellaNovember, which is serendipitous rather than planned for my novella In the Sweep of the Bay. It was a pleasure to talk about novellas with writer and blogger Kathryn Eastman for Nut Press. Kath is also doing a generous giveaway of copies of both my books – leave a comment on her blog to be in with a chance.
Then there’s the world of podcasts. I talked with Wayne Kelly recently for The Joined-Up Writing Podcast. Or rather I talked, a lot, and he got a word in edgeways from time to time.
Just two weeks to publication day for my second novella, In the Sweep of the Bay. Published by Louise Walters Books on 23rd November, it’s the story of a long marriage, with all the attendant hopes, joys and sadnesses.
The main setting for my book Morecambe in Lancashire and I’ll be writing about the location when I guest on Isabel Costello’s Literary Sofa next month. Isabel has given my book this lovely endorsement:
“This poignant novella has the feel of Revolutionary Road in a northern town and the outsize power of Mothering Sunday.”
We have a whole month of blogs to come, starting with a guest spot with Amanda Huggins tomorrow, 9th November, where I talk about the changing roles and expectations of women over the course of the second half of the twentieth century, as portrayed in my book.
Louise Walters is hosting a launch party on Zoom at 6pm on Sunday 22nd November, the eve of publication day. Hannah Persaud, whose brilliant debut novel The Codes of Love was published earlier this year, will be interviewing me, and there will be (short!) speeches, a reading from the book and a Q&A. All welcome. Contact me or Louise if you’d like to join us.
Meanwhile, you can pre-order In the Sweep of the Bay direct from the publisher, from the new bookshop.org that supports indpendent bookshops, or from Amazon.
Cath Barton 